How Duke’s Scheyer Has Bounced Back From Two Epic Collapses

The Duke basketball program is having about as good an offseason as it possibly could have asked for, as the Blue Devils will enter the 2026-27 campaign as a consensus top-three team in the sport with likely more depth than any squad in the country.

Head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff will look to bounce back from two devastating NCAA Tournament losses in a row. These weren’t just tough beats for the Blue Devils, but two of the most epic collapses in NCAA Tournament history…consecutively

Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer yells down court Saturday, March 21, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament second round game against the TCU Horned Frogs at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Collapses

1-seed Duke falling to 2-seed UConn in this past season’s Elite Eight is still fresh in the Blue Devil faithful’s minds everywhere. After entering the halftime locker room with a 44-29 lead in full control, everything came crashing down in the final seconds.

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The Blue Devils held a 17-point lead with just over 17 minutes left, an 11-point lead with under eight minutes, and a five-point lead with under two minutes, but one colossal error sent the program home in shock.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) shoots the ball over Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

UConn guard Silas Demary knocked down a free throw with 10 seconds to go to make the tally 72-70 in favor of Duke. All the Blue Devils had to do was inbound the ball and wait to get fouled. Then, on the inbound, Cayden Boozer eventually had it and tried to float a pass to Patrick Ngongba over halfcourt.

The ball was tipped back in the Huskies’ favor and eventually found Braylon Mullins, who drilled a…

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Publish date : 2026-05-02 12:00:00

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